Valley
Home minister stops fine on jaywalkers
The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has scrapped the provision of fining people for jaywalking following Minister for Home Affairs Janardan Sharma’s order to this effect.The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has scrapped the provision of fining people for jaywalking following Minister for Home Affairs Janardan Sharma’s order to this effect.
The MTPD since May 30 has imposed strict rules for pedestrians, as per which it was fining people who were found crossing roads from places other than designated areas like zebra crossings and overhead bridges. Such “offenders” had to pay a fine of Rs 200.
The MTPD rule had met with severe criticism, and there was a huge public outcry. Home Minister Sharma summoned Nepal Police Inspector General Prakash Aryal and MTPD Chief Mingmar Lama and directed them to scrap the provision of fining pedestrians.
Traffic police also used to detain people if they failed to pay Rs 200 fine.
Home Minister Sharma is learnt to have told the two top police officials to work on resolving the perennial traffic woes of Kathmandu rather than forcing people to cough up fines.
Educating people on traffic rules should be the focus rather than asking them to pay fine, the minister is learnt to have told the top cops.